The 2019 Master Plan was adopted at the 10/22/2019 Northfield Township Board Meeting.  From David Gordon's meeting report: 

1 – MASTER PLAN
- A new Master Plan was approved by a slim 4/3 vote. Historically, the plan receives a unanimous vote but this Board, led by Supervisor Marlene Chockley, is divided on nearly every issue.

 

Treasurer Lenore Zelenock and Trustees Wayne Dockett and Tawn Beliger had problems both with the substance and the process of the Plan rewrite which costs $35,000 and took nearly two years.

 

Supervisor Marlene Chockley pushed for the adoption because she said the new plan “opens up lots of land on Whitmore Lake Road for development”, one of her main priorities.

For reference, I've included a link to the 2012/2013 version of the Master Plan.  

The 2012/2013 Master Plan was tweaked in the interim.  As discussed in an earlier meeting, the tweaks were sufficient to count as a Master Plan update, which is why more than five years separates the following two Master Plans.   When I locate the changes I'll link to that document.

 

Updated 3-28-2019

Northfield Township's 2014 legal victory in the matter of Grand Sakwa v. Township of Northfield is described here, on page 8.  Paul Burns represented the Township in this defense.  Close watchers of local meetings realize that Phil McKenna - founder of our current Township Planning Consultancy, was a key expert witness in this case.

The legal abstract of Northfield Township's win over Grand/Sakwa.

Selected Planning and Zoning Decisions: Low Density Zoning is not a Takings.  Court: Michigan Court of Appeals (Published No. 305594, 2014 Mich. App. LEXIS 220, February 4, 2014) Case Name: Grand/Sakwa of Northfield, LLC v. Township of Northfield

Kudos to Township Attorney Paul Burns.

  

 

Social networks can create the illusion that something is common when it is actually rare.

The majority illusion is the phenomenon in which an individual comes to believe that a behavior or attribute of most of his or her friends is shared by the population outside that circle of friends.  Even though it is rare in the population as a whole, a minority opinion can be believed to be extremely popular.

This is what drives the attempts to undermine the Master Plan.  A small clique of people talk mostly to each other. Because they are willing to allow development anywhere it will go, they convince themselves and a few others that this is a widely held goal.  Nothing will shake their beliefs.  They see only what they want to see.  They don't stop talking to anyone with an opposing viewpoint - but they do stop listening.

 

MapMasterPlanWBiltmoreParcels

You can read and download the 2012 Master Plan here:

Or you can view it online here, on Slideshare.

Highlights:

  • Future Land Use planning: p39 (slide 49)
  • Farmland Classification Map: p68 (slide 78)
  • The School District Map: p70 (slide 80)
  • Planning Fair comments on the Master Planning Process: p73 (slide 83)
  • Results of the 2010 Community Survey: p91 (slide 101)
On page 39 you will find Southwest Sub-Area 3 - where Biltmore has its 9 optioned parcels.
For this area, here are the "Development Strategies" (some partial quotes, some complete):
 
  • Preserve open space, woodlands and natural features....
  • Preserve remaining farmland as active farms...
  • ...require clustered development....implementing policies regarding tree preservation...
  • Direct non-agricultural uses away from the areas...ideally situated and conditions for agriculture.
  • Discourage extensions of public sewer service...
  • Establish programs that maintain the viability of agricultural products....
  • Preserve open space and natural features....
  • Ensure that new residential development is compatible in density and character with existing residences and neighborhoods in the immediate area. (complete)
  • Allow for a mix of service, office & residential in the northwest corner (by WLHS, not at Joy Road)
  • Coordinate with state & Washtenaw county for farmland preservation. (complete)
  • Coordinate with Washtenaw county for parkland and open space acquisition and development (complete).
So there you have it.  Preservation, not development. 
That's the vision.
How does Biltmore fit in?  It doesn't.

The Planning Commission consulting firm Carlisle Wortman billed Northfield Township's citizens $35,184.53 for work on our current Township Master Plan, the result of several years of work by our Planning Commission and which was accepted and approved by our Township Board of Trustees in 2012. 

That $35,184.53 and more, since we haven't factored in the cost of all the Planning Commission meetings, will be thrown away if the Asphalt Addicts have their way.

You can read and download the 2012 Master Plan here:

Or you can view it online here, on Slideshare.

Below are Carlisle-Wortmann's invoices for their work on the Master Plan, dated 2010 through 2012, uncovered by a Freedom of Information Act Request. 

Planning Commission Chairperson Chockley penned this brief explanation of our most important local issue, which our local paper news outlet couldn't or wouldn't make space or time to print.  She mailed it to Neighbors who have written to her, so I am reprinting it here.

 
To Build or Not to Build, That is the Question. . .
Marlene Chockley, Chair
Northfield Township Planning Commission
 
Last June, the Northfield Township Planning Commission received a letter from a developer who has assembled just over 460 acres of land in the southwest corner of the Township. His hope is to tap into the sewer service provided by the Township and build a residential development. If there were no unbuildable portions of that acreage, potentially up to 1475 homes might be possible.
 
However, there are many significant challenges to realizing that potential. The land is zoned and master planned Agriculture which allows only one home per five acres. If an open space development is proposed preserving over half of the acreage as natural or recreational, clusters the homes, employs design excellence, and accesses paved roads, among other attributes, a density bonus of up to 150% can be obtained, thus one home per two acres in a best case scenario. Of course, many considerations must be addressed in the site plan stage, but this type of development could be done today. It is the property owner’s right under the existing zoning.
 
To increase that housing density, the zoning would need to be changed. While the owner could petition for a higher density zoning, a major determination for whether or not to grant that change is prescribed by the Master Plan. The Master Plan is the product of two years’ work gathering necessary background information, collecting public opinion through a comprehensive survey and two visioning/planning sessions, then developing the document and holding a public hearing. The resulting vision for development was recommended to the Board of Trustees by the Planning Commission and adopted July 10, 2012.
 
The Master Plan is not a static document; it can be amended if conditions change. However, because of the importance of this guiding document, amendments are not to be made quickly or in secret.
 
While the 460 acres are not currently master planned for the potential intensity, the Commission has defined a study area and is considering the positive and negative impacts of such a development. If the Commission determines that there is reason to consider a Master Plan amendment, many avenues for public participation will be employed to obtain a broad and representative view of the needs, wants, and concerns of our citizens. We expect that the Board of Trustees will approve the funds necessary to carry out public workshops and a scientific survey before any change to the Master Plan is actually proposed. This is an indispensable step which respects all citizens of the Township and their important role in the process.
 
Beyond that, several notices are required by law. Amendments require a minimum of six weeks for comment by neighboring jurisdictions and other entities. Any amending language and/or future land use map must be publicly available that entire time and a public hearing must be held with a minimum 15-day advance notice published in the Ann Arbor News. Stay tuned.
 
 
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